Teen Titans: Zero Saga
by Roll NEO
Summary: The Teen Titans encounter a new friend, and with new friends, come new enemies... Chapter 3 up! Tension in the team flares when the Pantheon reappears!
1. Enter Zero

**Teen Titans: Zero Saga**

by: Roll NEO

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**Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, and technically, I don't own the new guy either. However, his personality and origins in this story are of my creation, so I don't want any emails, reviews, etc. saying I got him all wrong!**

Chapter 1: Enter Zero

Sirens were blaring all across Titans Tower as the five teenage superheroes gathered in the control room.

"What is it?" Robin asked as he came rushing into the room.

"Something's going on at the power plant," said Cyborg. "Seems to be a report of robots overrunning the place."

"Is it Slade's robots?"

"I wish it were. Take a look for yourself." The display on the monitor switched to a security camera inside the power plant. An army of blue robots with single red eyes were disassembling all of the equipment inside. One of them saw the camera filming them, and pointed its machine-gun arm at it. The monitor instantly turned to static.

"Titans, move out!" They all then raced for the exit.

* * *

At the power plant, the army of robots was ready to take what they had and leave. One of the robots picked up a piece of machinery and turned for the exit, but was quickly met with a Birdarang into its eye. It dropped the machinery and dropped to the ground. The other robots turned to see the Teen Titans blocking the exit.

"I don't know who you are..." said Robin.

"...but the Teen Titans..." Beast Boy added.

"...are taking you down!" Cyborg finished. The robots then all aimed their machineguns at them and opened fire.

"Titans, go!" Robin shouted as they all scattered. Robin pulled out his bo-staff and swung it into the robots, knocking them into eachother. More of them were shooting at Starfire, who was soaring across the room. She retaliated with some of her energy blasts, blowing several of them to pieces. A small group of robots tried to run for the exit with whatever stuff they had, when they were snatched right out of their hands by Raven's powers.

"You want these things so bad... then take them!" Raven shouted at them. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" She then hurled the machinery at the robots, crushing them underneath a massive pile. Beast Boy turned into a gorilla and grabbed one of the robots' heads, crushing it with his large fist. He grabbed two more robots and smashed them into eachother. Several more robots had surrounded Cyborg, who readied his sonic cannon.

"Oh, you picked the wrong day to mess with Cyborg!" he said as he began shooting at them, leaving holes in random parts of their bodies. One of the robots snuck up behind him, and its arm changed from a machinegun to a taser rod, and stuck him in the back. The sudden surge of electricity made Cyborg lose his energy as the robots grabbed him.

"Cyborg!" Robin turned to check on his friend, but then he too was struck by a taser. More and more robots began to crawl out of the woodwork and quickly overwhelmed them. They were all completely surrounded when the robots took aim with their machineguns one more time.

"I fear that this may be the end for us, friends," said Starfire.

"But that doesn't mean we'll go down without a fight!" Robin said, ready to charge into the mob with the last ounce of his strength. Just then, there came a loud slashing sound. The robots turned to see one of their own, jittering in place, and then falling apart clean in two. They looked around to see what the cause of it was, as did the Titans. There came another slashing sound, and another robot was destroyed. Out of the corner of her eye, Raven saw a dark figure rushing past them. Soon, the whole room was filled with the sound of slashing and breaking metal. Within the span of five minutes, half of the robots were lying on the ground, scrapped.

"Now's our chance!" Robin said. The five heroes then rushed into the crowd of the remaining robots. In a matter of moments, the entire floor was coated with the remnants of the robot army. The Titans breathed a sigh of relief as the dark figure from before landed in front of them. They took a closer look at it when it turned around. It was a young man, slightly taller than Robin, with short spiky blond hair and blue eyes, wearing a large red overcoat. Under the coat, you could see two large armored boots sticking out. In his hand was a small stick, with a green beam of light protruding out of it.

"Looks like you guys needed my help after all," the young man said. "At least you were kind enough to leave some for me."

"Thanks for the save," Robin said, "but who are you?"

"Don't sweat it. The name's Zero."

"We owe you our lives, friend Zero!" Starfire cried as she grabbed Zero and started squeezing him.

"Gack... I said... don't... sweat... it..." Starfire let go of him as he caught his breath.

"Those were some pretty slick moves you pulled off there," said Cyborg.

"Yeah, dude!" Beast Boy chimed in. "You were like, whoosh! And then, you were like, slash, and they were like, kaboooom!"

"It was nothing," Zero said. "The Pantheon's numbers are the only advantage they have. Other than that, they're as dumb as bricks. Unless, of course, you let your guard down."

"Pantheon?" Raven asked. "You know what they are?"

"Do I? I've been hunting them down the whole time!"

"We haven't even introduced ourselves yet," said Robin, extending his hand out to Zero. "I'm---"

"Robin," Zero interrupted. "I've heard a lot about you." He then turned to the other Titans. "Cyborg, Starfire, Beast Boy, and of course, we can't forget Raven! You're the Teen Titans. I don't think there's anybody that doesn't already know who you all are. In fact, this really quite convenient. I was looking for you, to tell the truth."

"You were?"

"Yeah! I'll tell you more, but first, I think we had better leave this wasted place."

"Right. You can come with us back to Titans Tower." With that, the six of them headed out through the exit.

* * *

When the Titans and Zero arrived at the tower, Zero was left speechless at what he saw.

"This... place... is... AWESOME!" Zero said as he looked around the living room, the room where they hanged out the most. "Big screen TV, video gaming systems to the extreme, lots of food, a birds-eye view of the city... You guys have it all here!" He then ran over to the couch and hopped right onto it, kicking up his leg and propping it up on his other.

"Maybe we can give you a tour later," Beast Boy suggested.

"But first, you think you can tell us about this 'Pantheon'?" asked Robin.

"Oh, yeah, of course," said Zero. "The Pantheon is just an army of robots. I'm not completely sure on what their agenda is, but it seems to do a lot with technology. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that they're trying to set up base in this city."

"We'll see. If they try anything else, we'll be ready for them.""So, Zero," said Cyborg, "how about telling us a little about yourself?"

"Yes! Please tell us all about you!" said Starfire. "How old are you? What's your favorite color? Where are you from? Do you plan on staying here?"

"Uhh... 17, um, red, uhh... New York, and of course I'm staying here! It's my job to make sure the Pantheon is destroyed, and whoever is behind them gets brought down."

"Hey, Z!" Cyborg said. "I noticed you got some armor under that coat."

"Oh, this?" Zero lifted up one of the folds of his coat. "If you want a better look, I can take this coat off." He got up from the couch and unbuttoned his overcoat. After he took it off, you could see a suit of red and white armor covering his entire body except for his head. On the shoulder plate on his left shoulder was the image of a Z. Beast Boy looked a little closer, and saw that Zero's short blond hair wasn't so short after all. Zero had long, spiky hair that almost reached down to his feet.

"Dude, what's with the hair?" he asked, pointing at it.

"What? I like my hair like this!"

"Ohh! This hair is absolutely wonderful!" Starfire said grabbing it and cuddling with it. "How did you get it so long?"

"Years and years of care, I kid you not."

"What's your armor made of?" Cyborg inquired. "Titanium?"

"Actually, it's a titanium-thorium alloy. And..." Zero turned around, and pulled back his hair, revealing a white pack on his back. "This is my armor's power generator."

"Really? What about that sword you were using?"

"My beam saber? Heh, it gathers light particles and stores it within the hilt, and then it compresses them so tightly, that it can actually turn the light into a solid object, in this case, a blade."

"Sweet, man! It would be a perfect match with my sonic cannon!"

"_You_ have a sonic cannon? That's so cool! We have to trade spec notes sometime! Give me five!" The two techno-addicts high-fived eachother.

"Booyah!" Cyborg shouted.

"Raven," Robin said, "isn't there anything you'd like to ask Zero?"

"No," she simply replied. "Not really."

"Suit yourself," Zero said. "Well, it's getting late. I guess I'll just head out and---"

"Wait a minute," Robin said. "Why don't you stay here?"

"Really? Are you sure? I mean, is it okay with you?"

"Sure it is," said Beast Boy. "You can crash with us for a night or two or even three!"

"Gee, that's really nice of you guys, but I couldn't---"

"It is the least we can do for you for helping us earlier," Starfire said. "Won't you please stay for the night?"

"Well... Okay, you talked me into it!" Everyone in the room was cheering, except for Raven.

'Now why does this seem familiar...' she thought to herself.

"Come on, let's show you to the guest room," Robin said as they all headed out of the room.

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**Hmm, a new friend, and a new enemy... what will happen to the Titans and their new friend Zero? What about the enigmatic Pantheon? Only time will tell...**


	2. New Titan on the Block

Teen Titans: Zero Saga 

by Roll NEO

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**Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, and for those who've already guessed, I don't own Zero. However, his origin in this story is of my creation, so don't send me any comments about that! Just want to get that point out.**

Chapter 2: The New Titan on the Block

Zero awoke to a bright and sunny day as he rose out of his bed and let out a long yawn. He had been sleeping in one of the guest rooms in Titans Tower last night, just a simple barebones room with the bare necessities. He had been used to wearing his armor for so long, that he had even slept the whole night with it on. He rubbed his eyes as he got out of bed and straightened the bedsheets.

"I actually slept well that night," he said to himself. "I wonder if the others are awake?" He opened the door and headed down the hall. When he got to the living room, the Titans were all sitting at the table, ready to eat breakfast.

"Good morning, friend Zero!" Starfire greeted him. "Did you sleep well?"

"Well, yeah, I did, actually," Zero said. "Thanks for asking."

"You were just about to miss breakfast!" Beast Boy said.

"Maybe you should have," Cyborg said. "BB cooked this morning." He then looked down at his plate. "Tofu eggs and bacon... guess we should've told you he's a vegetarian."

"Come on, Z, I made a plate for you too!" Zero sat down at the table and looked at his plate. Sitting on it were lumps of tofu, cleverly shaped into two eggs and a couple strips of bacon.

"Oh boy," Zero said, "soy products..." He took his fork and cut a piece off one of the eggs and took a bite. His face scrunched up a little, but he did his best to hide it. "Mmm... nutritious..." he said sarcastically.

After they had all eaten, Robin and the others got up from the table.

"We're heading down to the obstacle course to do some training," Robin said to Zero. "Would you like to join us, Zero?"

"Sure, sounds exciting. You go on ahead, I'll join you in a minute." The five Titans headed out of the room, while their guest headed back to his room. Zero grabbed his overcoat and slipped it on over his armor and headed back for the door. Just before he opened the door, he could hear barely audible voices on the other side.

"Is there something wrong, Raven?" It was Robin's voice. "You've been acting a little strange since Zero came here."

"That's the problem," Raven said. "Aren't you and the others being a little too open with him? We met him only yesterday. I think we should keep an eye on him, make sure he's not pulling anything."

"Raven, you're still not upset about..." Zero couldn't hear anything else as the two headed down the hallway.

'What were they talking about?' Zero thought to himself. He shrugged it off and opened the door.

* * *

When Zero got down to the obstacle course, he saw Robin and Raven standing behind a large console, with Beast Boy and Starfire standing just to the side of them cheering on Cyborg, who was busy outrunning several target drones that were shooting lasers at him. Cyborg turned around and started shooting them with his sonic cannon. One by one the drones were destroyed, and as the last one fell to the ground, Cyborg looked at the display on his right arm to see his course time.

"Woo! 1:57.64! Best time this month!" he shouted as he did a little victory dance. "Go, Cyborg! Go Cy! Uh-huh! Oh yeah!"

"That was a most wondrous display!" Starfire said jumping up and down excitedly.

"Look who decided to join us!" Beast Boy said, turning to see Zero.

"How about it, Zero?" Robin asked him. "Want to give the obstacle course a spin?" Zero looked at the obstacle course as it was resetting itself. He saw giant metal fists that protruded into the ground, fixed turrets, and giant sliding walls sinking back into the ground.

"Uh, you know, I think I'm having seconds thoughts about this, I don't think---" He stopped when he bumped into Cyborg while backing up.

"Come on, Z!" he said. "It's just a few hundred deathtraps! How bad could it be?"

"Yeah, dude, go for it!" Beast Boy added.

"Uhh..." Zero saw the others cheering him on. "Okay then! Let's do it." He then headed up to the starting line. The large timer on the console that controls the obstacles began to count down. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1... 0! Zero began racing across the track as fast as his feet could carry him. Suddenly, the metal fists began shooting out of the ground, trying to pulverize him. Zero sidestepped them, having several close calls. When he thought he got past them, one final one shot out from directly under him, sending him flying into the air.

"Oh, I cannot watch!" Starfire covered her eyes. Zero was a little disoriented from the sudden jolt, but he quickly recovered, performing some somersaults and aerial flips before gracefully landing on his feet. He then gave a bow to the Titans as if he was performing Olympic gymnastics. Behind him, several laser turrets popped out of rocky formations and began to fire.

"Look out, man!" Cyborg yelled at Zero. Zero looked out of the corner of his eye to see the projectiles, and quickly pulled out his beam saber. _Zhoom! Zhang!_ In two swipes, he deflected the lasers and sent them flying back at the turrets, destroying them.

"Whoa, didn't know he could do that..." Cyborg said.

'This is actually pretty fun!' Zero thought to himself. 'I'm really giving it everything!' He raced on as three large metal walls rose out of the ground. The walls then began sliding up and down along guard rails. Zero ran under the first wall before it came crashing down. The second one hit the ground before he could reach it, so he crouched down, and launched himself into the air, clearing it like a hurdle. The third wall was about to come down, but Zero kept running towards it.

"Dude, slow down!" Beast Boy called out to him. "You're not gonna make it!" Zero looked at him and smiled. He leapt across under the third wall as it came down. Suddenly, two small jets of flame shot out from the bottom of his boots, giving him the extra boost needed to clear the gap. He somersaulted across the ground and leapt to his feet.

"Time!" Robin called. Cyborg looked down on his display and his eyes widened.

"1.57.63? He beat my time!" Cyborg said in disbelief.

"That was really something, Zero. You passed the course with flying colors. But now there's one more test." Robin pressed a button on the console. A swarm of training drones flew out of a hole in the ground and began circling Zero. They completely surrounded him, from the front, back, sides, and even above. "Let's see how long you can last." The drones around Zero hovered in place as one in front of him fired a shot. Zero twisted his saber and defelected the shot right back at the one that fired it. Another drone from behind fired a shot as well. Zero swung his saber behind him and rebounded the shot. Suddenly, all of the droids began shooting him at the same time. Zero smiled as he twirling his saber, moving it all around his body. A flurry of lasers and explosions was the only thing the Titans could see. When the dust settled, Zero emerged, slowly placing his beam saber back into its slot on his armor's generator.

"That... was... AWESOME!" Cyborg and Beast Boy shouted, racing towards Zero. "We're here with the man of the hour, Zero, who has just set a new record on the Teen Titans' obstacle course, and put on a spectacular light show shortly afterwards. Zero, do you have any words you would like to share with the world?" Cyborg held a microphone up to Zero's mouth like it was a sports broadcast.

"Uhh..." Zero didn't know what to say.

"There you have it!" said Beast Boy. "Let's give another round of applause for Zero!" All the Titans then began cheering as they approached Zero.

"I have to say, I haven't seen anything like that in a long time!" Robin grinned.

"Yes, it was wonderfully entertaining!" Starfire added.

"Heh, you think?" Zero said, rubbing the back of his head, slightly embarassed.

"Well, I'll be heading to the garage now," Cyborg said. "I'm gonna have to modify the T-Car to hold one more passenger."

"What? Does this mean---?" Robin approached Zero and held out a small communicator.

"What do you say, Zero?" he asked him. "How would you like to join the Teen Titans?"

"Gee, this is a little sudden... I don't know what to say..." Zero took the communicator, looked at it for a while, and looked up at the others. "...You can count me in!"

"All right!" Beast Boy cheered.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Cyborg said.

"Wonderful!" said Starfire, hugging Zero. "Welcome to our team, Zero!"

"Urk! Can't... breathe..." Zero said between gasps, pulling out of Starfire's embrace.

"Good to have you on the team," Robin said, shaking hands with him. Zero looked around and saw that Raven was the only one who didn't congratulate him on his new membership, and he quickly approached her.

"Well, Raven," he said, "it'll be a pleasure working with you and the others, uh, don't you think?"

"Whatever," was her only reply as she headed back to the tower.

"What's her problem?" Zero asked the others.

"Raven has a little trouble adjusting to new things," Robin said. "Just give her some time, I'm sure she'll come around." 'I hope...' he thought to himself as they all headed back into the tower.

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**A new member of the Teen Titans, and mixed feelings abound! Will our new hero be able to get along with the other Titans and fit in? And no signs of the Pantheon yet... what exactly are their plans? Only time will tell...**


	3. Fitting In

**Teen Titans: Zero Saga**

by Roll NEO

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**Author's Note: I apologize to anyone who read this fanfic, waiting for the next chapter, but I had been disconnected from the Internet for about six months. But now that I'm back (hopefully for a long time), I'll continue to work on this story.**

**Disclaimer: Need I say it thrice? I don't own Teen Titans, etc.**

Chapter 3: Fitting In

"Zero! Behind you!" Robin shouted to Zero, who turned around to see Plasmus emerge behind him, swinging its large claws at him. Zero jumped away just in time and then charged at him. He ran underneath Plasmus, slicing its legs with his beam saber. Plasmus screeched as it fell to the ground. Zero turned around to check his damage, and saw it plant its severed limbs into the ground, growing its feet back. It turned around and roared at Zero, but was quickly met by a giant pipe enveloped in dark energy jammed into its mouth and out its back.

"Thanks, Raven," Zero said turning around to see her.

"It was nothing," she replied. Plasmus let out a painful gargle as it dropped to the ground.

"He's down and out!" Cyborg said.

"Good job, team," said Robin. "Especially you, Zero."

"Hey, don't give me too much credit," Zero said. "It was a team effort. Everybody pitched in as much as I did." Just then, the police arrived on the scene to detain the mutant criminal. "Well, I guess that's our cue to leave."

"Right. Let's go home."

* * *

Later that day, at Titans Tower...

Zero headed to the Titans' hangar, where Cyborg was busy working on the T-Car."Hey, Cyborg!" Zero greeted him.

"S'up, Z?" Cyborg replied.

"Just thought I'd give myself a tour of the place." He looked at the T-Car. "So, this is the T-Car you were talking about the other day."

"Yup! My pride and joy! How d'ya like it?"

"Hmm... Nice ride, but I still prefer mine."

"Yours?" Zero pulled back the sleeve on his coat and pressed a button on his armband.

"It should be here in 3, 2, 1..." Suddenly, something came bursting through the hangar door, and came to a screeching halt just inches away from the two of them. It looked like a sleek red and black motorcycle, except for one thing: it had no wheels. Underneath it were two green streams of light, making it hover in midair. "Allow me to introduce the Ride Chaser, MY pride and joy!"

"Sweet!" Cyborg ran up to the Ride Chaser, running his hand along its sleek body. "How do you make it hover?"

"More light technology, my fine semi-metal friend! The Ride Chaser's the fastest thing on _no_ wheels! Feel free to examine it and take notes. Just don't think about tweaking it or taking it for a ride. I'm gonna go see what else there is around here. Catch ya later." Zero took his right index and middle fingers together and gave a little salute before leaving the hangar.

"Hey, wait!" Cyborg tried to call after Zero, but he had already left. "What about what your ride did to my hanger door?" He turned and looked at the gaping hole the Ride Chaser made.

* * *

"All this walking around is making me tired," Zero said to himself. As he walked down the hall, he wasn't paying attention to where he was going, and accidentally bumped into Raven, making her drop the book she was reading.

"Sorry," Raven said as she picked her book up. "I wasn't---" she stopped when she turned around and saw that the person she bumped was Zero. "Oh, it's you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Zero asked.

"Nothing."

"That tone in your voice isn't telling me that."

"I said it was nothing."

"Look, Raven, you've been acting very negative towards me since we met. I don't know what I did to get off on the wrong foot with you, but if you have something to say to me, then say it."

"..." The two of them were silent, glaring at eachother.

"Hey, guys!" Beast Boy came walking by. "Umm... is this a staring contest?"

"It's nothing," Raven said as she turned away and left.

"Is she always like that?" Zero asked Beast Boy.

"Don't worry about it too much," said Beast Boy. "Raven's like that almost all the time. You just gotta give her a chance to know you, then she'll start to open up to you."

"The way she acts, I don't think she wants anything to do with me." Just then, sirens began to go off, red lights flashing everywhere.

"Trouble!" Beast Boy said. "C'mon, let's go!" Zero nodded as they raced down the hall. When they got to the control room, the others were already there, watching a display of Pantheon soldiers attacking a WayneTech building.

"The Pantheon," Robin said. "Titans, move out!" The six Titans quickly departed for the WayneTech building.

* * *

At the building, the Pantheon soldiers were marching out of the building, carrying large pieces of machinery. More of them were firing their machine guns at the police, who were having difficulty advancing and fighting back. One of the attacking soldiers was suddenly struck by a blue beam, blowing off its head. As it dropped to the ground, the other robots turned to the origin of the beam, seeing the Teen Titans standing before them.

"Time to crash this party!" Cyborg said. The Pantheon robots then turned their attention to them and began shooting. The six heroes split up and charged into the swarm of soldiers.

Robin pulled out several Birdarangs and hurled them away, slicing off random parts of the soldiers in front of him. He then pulled out his bo staff and swung at any robots that got near him. Starfire was weaving back and forth through the sky, dodging bullets left and right like raindrops. Her eyes began to glow brightly as she launched her green starbolts into the army below, sending robots in all directions. Cyborg tackled more robots like a football player. One of the robots grabbed his arm, but was quickly flung off. Another tried to charge him from the front, and had its face crunched in by Cyborg's massive fist. One more robot wrapped its arms around his neck from behind, trying to choke him, but was pulled off by Beast Boy, who had turned into a gorilla. Beast Boy roared as he ripped the robot's arms off. He turned around and slammed his fist down on top of another robot's head, crushing it flat. A group of Pantheon soldiers were shooting at Raven, who was blocking their attacks with a black shield. She then scooped up the group of robots with her magic, trapping them in an orb.

"Let's see how you like this!" Raven said to them. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" She brought her hands together, crushing the robots inside the sphere into a ball of scrap. Zero had his hands full as well, dodging the robots' stun batons. He swung his beam saber, slicing one of the robots in half at the waist. He twirled the saber and thrust it behind him, stabbing another robot in the chest. He quickly pulled it out and continued to fight them off. Suddenly, the robots stopped attacking. Their single eyes glowed, and without warning, began to run away from the area.

"They are... retreating?" Starfire asked.

"For a good reason, too," Cyborg said, looking at the built-in scanner in his arm. "The building's been rigged with a bomb! It'll go off in five minutes, and there are still people trapped inside!"

"We have to stop that bomb!" Robin said. Just as he was about to head into the building, Zero grabbed him by the arm.

"Wait!" Zero said. "It's a diversion! If we all try to disarm the bomb, the Pantheon will get away with the tech! We should split up."

"Okay, then. Starfire, Cyborg, the three of us will stop the Pantheon. Zero, Raven, and Beast Boy will take care of the bomb. Move!" Robin, Cyborg, and Starfire chased after the fleeing Pantheon, while Raven, Beast Boy, and Zero headed into the WayneTech building. Inside the main courtyard of the building, the bomb was in plain sight. It was a gigantic yellow box with multi-colored cords, various red buttons, and a large timer that currently read 4:21 and counting down.

"Whoa," said Beast Boy, "that's a big bomb."

"That saves the trouble of finding it," Zero said, approching the massive explosive. "Let me just---" Before he could take another step, he was blocked off by a black wall made by Raven.

"Wait," Raven said. "We don't know how to disarm it. We should just take the bomb somewhere else." She covered the bomb with her dark aura.

"Stop!" Zero shouted. "Don't move it! It's programmed to detonate automatically if it's disturbed! It has to be disarmed right where it stands!"

"I don't believe you," Raven said.

"_What_? What is your problem?"

"You want to know what my problem is? Fine! I don't trust you! The Pantheon showed up just moments before you did! It's too much of a coincidence! For all we know, you could be working with them!"

"Um, guys...?" Beast Boy tried to interrupt.

"I'm part of the team now, Raven," Zero said, "and teammates have to trust eachother."

"I've trusted others before you in the past, and they stabbed me in the back!" Raven retorted. "How do I know you're any different from them?"

"_Guys_..." Beast Boy tried getting their attention again.

"Yeah," Zero said, "how will you know if you never give me a chance to start with?"

"_**GUYS**_!" Beast Boy finally yelled.

"What?" Zero and Raven asked in unison. Beast Boy pointed at the bomb. Its timer now read 1:27.

"So what's it gonna be, Raven?" Zero asked. The two of them stared at eachother, a stern look in both of their faces. Finally, Raven put the bomb back down. Zero ran up to the bomb and looked at the red buttons. "As I was saying, I've seen this kind of bomb before, so I know how to disarm it. You have to press these buttons in the correct order, and then cut the right cord." Zero began to press the buttons, when suddenly more Pantheon soldiers appeared from nowhere and began shooting at him. Zero braced for the attack, but was shielded by Raven's powers.

"We'll handle them," Raven said. "You worry about the bomb!" She and Beast Boy then charged towards the robots. Zero looked at Raven for a moment, then smiled, and went back to work. As he continued to press the buttons, the timer on the bomb continued to count down, now at 0:15.

"You can finish anytime now, Z!" Beast Boy was starting to panic as he and Raven finished off the last of the Pantheon robots.

"Almost... got it!" Zero said after pushing the last of the buttons. He quickly turned to the cords on his right. There were red, yellow, green, blue, and black cords. He grabbed the red cord and yanked it out. The timer stopped at 0:03. "Phew. For a second there, I thought I wasn't gonna make it."

"Okay," Raven said, "you can let go now." She looked at Beast Boy, who was hiding behind her cloak. Just then, Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg entered the building.

"We took care of the remaining Pantheon soldiers," Robin said, "and seeing that the place is still in one piece, I'd say you took care of the bomb."

"It was---" Zero said.

"A team effort," Raven finished the sentence for him.

* * *

That night, at Titans Tower, Zero and Raven were walking together down the hallway.

"Sorry about that little fiasco earlier," said Zero.

"Why are you apologizing?" Raven asked. "I admit, I was being a bit of a jerk back there. I guess I... misjudged you"

"Don't be so hard on yourself. Everything worked out fine in the end, right?" He stopped walking. "So, want to try this again?" Raven turned around as he extended his arm towards her. "Zero."

"Raven." The two of them shook hands.

"Glad to be working with the team as a whole now." Zero yawned. "Excuse me. Well, it's getting late. Back to the guest room for me"

"Wait, Zero. There's something I want to show you first. Come with me." Raven headed down the hall, with Zero quietly following. After passing several doors, they stopped in front of another one. "Here we are."

"Here we are... where?" Zero asked.

"Your new room." Raven pointed to a small label on the door that read "Zero". When she opened the door, it was dark inside. Suddenly, the lights came on, and the other Titans jumped out.

"Surprise!" they all shouted. Zero looked around the room. It had red wallpaper and carpeting, a large window with a view overlooking the city, a large bed with a red blanket, a desk with a computer, and in the closet were red coats just like the one Zero was wearing.

"Wow," Zero said. "You set this all up for me?"

"Of course!" Robin said.

"No Teen Titan is complete without their own personalized crash pad!" said Cyborg.

"I don't know what to say, guys... thanks! Thanks a lot!" Zero said.

"Come, Zero!" Starfire said. "We will celebrate with stewed grunthmek followed by a traditional Tamaranian folk song!"

"Uhh... that sounds... enjoyable. You guys go on ahead, I'll be with you in a sec." Everyone except Zero left the room. He went over to the window and smiled. "It feels good to be around friends again..."

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**Now that Raven and Zero have set aside their differences, maybe fighting the Pantheon won't be such a hardship. But the one behind the mysterious robot army has yet to show their face. What could they be planning? Only time will tell...**


End file.
